Sunday, January 25, 2009

Mikhail Glinka was one of the earliest Russian composers and is often considered the "father" of Russian music. He studied under John Field who developed the "Nocturne" form of music. This Nocturne in F Minor was composed in 1839 for Glinka's sister while she was away in St. Petersburg - thus the title "The Separation." He has produced several beautiful and memorable melodies of which this Nocturne is one.

DedicationThis recording came about due to a special and unique circumstance. The dedicatory title may seem a bit strange, but this recording is in fact dedicated to snowmen. More appropriately it is dedicated to my daughter's first snowman, Frosty, who she built all by herself about a week or two ago. She was so proud of her snowman; she took great care to make it just right. The weather became unusually warm over the last week and even yielded occasional rain. Unfortunately the snowman did not fair well in the weather and my daughter bore the sad realization that her snowman was melting. She looked out the window yesterday and saw that the snowman was just a small pile of snow. I watched as she dressed in her winter clothes and went outside to bid farewell to her dear friend. My wife and I watched from the window as she sobbed in front of a small pile of snow. As tears streamed down her cheeks she lovingly caressed the snowman one last time; and with a gentle hug she suffered the reality that her friend was lost.

My wife had to gently coax her to come back inside. After she came in I played her this Nocturne as a memorial to her departed friend. So with all of the tender emotions and delicate expressions of a father I recorded this Nocturne for my little girl.

You may listen to this recording by using the embedded media player below. You may also subscribe to my free iTunes podcast or visit my Lisztonian site to download any of my recordings. I hope you enjoy my interpretation of Glinka's "Separation" Nocturne.